Will You Love Me Tomorrow?
by VelmaGirl
Summary: PRLR. Takes place right after the episode, The Queen's Return. RyanKelsey. How Ryan and Kelsey, try to deal with Ryan leaving to find a way to defeat Bansheera. I have ideas to turn this into a multichapter fic. Don't know whether or not I should. Read th
1. Chapter 1

1Ryan left Rescue Ops quickly, knowing he had a job to do. He had tried not to pay any attention to the fact that Kelsey had been the first to volunteer that the other rangers should go with him, but the thought kept nagging him in the back of his mind.

The young man still hadn't figured out how she had managed to trust him so easily. He had stolen from them and then tried to kill them all, including his sister. She had treated him like a normal person from the start. Kelsey had regularly paid him visits while he was forced to stay in the medical wing because of the cobra. He had enjoyed the visits. Whenever his father or Dana visited they were all gloom and doom, thinking they would never get rid of the deadly tattoo on his back. Kelsey would sit there and tell jokes, talk about Joel's daily attempt to ask Ms. Fairweather out.

And now he was leaving her. He was leaving her here in Mariner Bay while he would try to defeat Queen Bansheera. It didn't seem right. It _wasn't _right, but he felt he had to do it.

He had to prove himself to the others. He had seen the looks Chad had given him while training. Ryan knew the blue ranger wasn't quite sure whether or not he, as the newest addition to the ranger team, was to trusted.

His thoughts were all back to the yellow ranger as he gathered items he would need for his quest. How could you know someone for a month, yet feel like you've known them a lifetime. Dana was struggling to comprehend that her brother was still alive. Carter just wanted to help Dana. Joel was too busy wooing Ms. Fairweather to get close to the Titanium Ranger, and Chad didn't even trust him. She was the only one left to bother with him. Deep down he hoped, somehow, that it hadn't been bothersome to visit him.

The Titanium Rangers was pulled from his reverie as he found himself sitting on his bed, staring into the wide blue eyes he had been thinking of merely seconds ago.

Kelsey stood in front of Ryan with an amused look on her face. She couldn't have been more than a two feet away from him, and yet Ryan still hadn't noticed her presence.

Finally, she saw him shake his head a little, as if to rid his mind of whatever he had been thinking.

"Hi Kelsey. I didn't hear you come in."

"Obviously not.", she said with a smirk. "You're really going to go through with this aren't you. We can't stop you from leaving.", the smirk quickly changing to a frown.

"No. I wish there was another way. I don't want to leave. I finally found a family, a home, but if I don't do this, then who will? God, Dana's crying again isn't she. Why is it that I seem to have a knack for making her cry?"

"Ryan it's fine. The only thing any of that means is that she's glad to have her big brother back. You didn't make her cry. Plus, I doubt Carter will be leaving her side anytime soon. He's been in our room for nearly an hour already. You know, she's not the only person that's going to miss you, though. We all will. I wanted to... actually I don't really know why I came, but I guess I came to visit you."

Ryan smiled as the perky brunette suddenly stumbled over her thoughts. If he ever had any doubts about this aquabase being his home, he only had to think of her.

So, she would miss him. He didn't know what it was like to be missed by someone. He grew up with demons. They weren't quite the lovey dovey family types. And in truth, they all really had become family. When, the morphers were gone, the friendship would remain. Still, he had to think of the tingling in his chest whenever Kelsey was around. Was she just another teammate?

"Yeah well, I can always use a visit. Things can get pretty monotonous around here, and I can't possibly think of anything else I could need. I've covered most every weird scenario I can think of."

" Here, come with me."

Before Ryan could respond, Kelsey had grabbed his arm and they were on their way out of the Aquabase.

"Are you going to leave tonight or tomorrow?" Kelsey let her curious side take over her for a little while.

"Tomorrow. I want to spend a little more time here before I absolutely have to leave. Where are we going anyways?"

"We are going to the park by the mall to have as much fun as we possibly can before you leave tomorrow. I'm not letting you leave before you see this stuff."

Ryan smiled at the yellow ranger. She didn't know how much the sentiment of their private "farewell party" really meant to him. Kelsey was the first to become his friend, and now she was his best friend.

Kelsey sat in the driver's seat of the rover trying to hold back her tears. Ryan was leaving, _tomorrow_. Her best friend was going on an adventure, and she had to stay right where she was. It wouldn't be the same without Ryan around. Sure, she always had Dana around, but Dana was who she went to for girl talk, things like hair and makeup, guys even.

Not that she had really talked to Dana about having a boyfriend in a while. At least not since Ryan came. Could she really talk to Dana about her own brother?

Life was getting more confusing for Kelsey every moment, but she kept on driving. An afternoon out would help her keep her mind off of things. Finally, they reached the park.

The park was large, and was full of people. There was a lake with people out in boats and on jet skis. There were many food stand around that carried almost anything you can imagine. Some sort of fair was in town, so there were rides that everyone loves: a ferris wheel, multiple roller coasters, and a tilt-a-whirl.

The first thing Kelsey insisted on doing was getting snow cones. By the time Ryan was halfway done with his cherry snow cone, his mouth and chin were both stained red. Needless to say, he looked adorable to Kelsey. She spent a good five minutes trying to rub the syrup off of his chin, but she only succeeded in making his chin redder from the irritation of the napkin.

They were walking around a huge fountain that stood in the center of the park. Many children ran past headed to a moon walk set up nearly twenty feet away from the two. They began to make small talk to pass the time.

"So, have you ever been on the ferris wheel?" Kelsey inquired.

"Not really, but then again I can't remember a whole lot before the demons." Ryan stated. Kelsey immediately felt ashamed for bringing it up. She didn't know much about Ryan's time with the demons, but she knew it was probably a memory he didn't want to relieve.

Ryan felt horrible about his response when he saw the look on Kelsey's face.

"It's okay. I'm fine talking about it. In all honesty, my only problem...well, two problems were that I was hell bent on revenge, and the loneliness. I've definitely better company than a bunch of demons who want to rule the world."

Kelsey couldn't help but giggle at the way Ryan dead panned the last remark. She was pulled out of her crummy mood , and she suddenly said, "Well, we're going on the ferris wheel right now in that case."

Ryan found himself being dragged once again, only this time towards the ferris wheel.

"Getting a bit demanding are we, Miss Winslow?" Ryan teased in a low voice, as Kelsey bought their tickets.

She tried to hide the fact that she thought he was very, very attractive when he used that voice by saying, " You know, you look like your dad when you do that ."(Not that she thought Captain Mitchell was attractive, she just happened to find his son very attractive .)

Ryan feigned a look of horror, and the two made their way onto the ferris wheel. The two were quiet as the ferris wheel started to move. Kelsey decided to break the ice and get a conversation started again.

"Wanna hear a funny story about a ferris wheel?" she asked.

Ryan nodded for her to continue.

"Well, I was in high school and I was with my best friend, Shelby. She was trying to get this guy she liked to notice her. Well, to stop hearing her tell me about him, I dared her to go and ask him to get on the ferris wheel with her, she was really shy. So, she went and asked this guy and he ended up wanting to. Well, it turns out he had come with his mother. So, I was stuck on the ferris wheel the whole entire time sitting next to his mother, who was telling me about her weekly book club."

Ryan gave her an amused look at this.

"Shut up, Ryan"

"I didn't say anything."

"No, but you were going to. Anyways, she was halfway through telling me about this, and I quote ' simply charming book about the torrid romance between the pink and green rangers in Angel Grove', when the ferris wheel broke down."

Ryan had to let out a laugh at this, Kelsey stuck on a ferris wheel with a forty-something year woman who was in a book club that read about power rangers, that was just too damn funny.

"Wait a minute, Ryan, I'm not even to the best part, yet. Well, we had been sitting there for ten minutes when she decided to look down and see if anyone was down on the ground trying to repair the ferris wheel. Unfortunately, she couldn't see the ground, but she had a great view of Shelby and her son making out. Then, she started asking me if I had anything to do with it. Even Queen Bansheera isn't half as scary as this woman was when she interrogating me."

The ride was almost halfway over by that time. The duo soon fell back to a silence, after loads of laughing had taken place.

"How come it's the middle of summer in California, and I'm cold. Of course today I decided to conveniently leave my Lightspeed jacket in my room. "

"I'm telling you, it was that snow cone. Here, you can have mine." Ryan said as he removed his jacket and placed it on her shoulders. The jacket swallowed Kelsey's petite frame, but it was keeping her warm.

The pair decided to head inside the mall, not wanting to go on any more rides. Kelsey stepped inside and the first thing she saw was a small photo booth, just big enough for two people, two people who didn't mind being in very, very close proximities with each other.

"Ryan come on!" she prodded. Ryan could only smile and run after her.

The two entered the booth.

Snap.

Kelsey sitting in Ryan's lap giving him bunny ears while he sits making "cuckoo" motions while pointing at the girl in his lap.

Snap.

Ryan and Kelsey face to face with their tongues pointed out at each other.

Snap.

Ryan holding Kelsey piggy-back style on his back, both of them looking straight making funny faces.

Snap.

Kelsey back in Ryan's lap giving him a kiss on the cheek, Ryan blushing.

Snap.

Both sitting there, cheek to cheek, with genuine smiles on their faces.

After taking photos, it was almost six o' clock. They both jumped into the rover and started back towards the base. Each carried a strip of five small pictures in their pocket.

By the time they arrived back at the Aquabase, it was already 6:30, and everyone else had already eaten dinner. Ryan and Kelsey went to the galley to eat.

"So... how did I do?" Kelsey asked curiously.

Ryan frowned in confusion, "What?"

" How did I do making this afternoon fun."

A look of realization dawned on Ryan's face. "Really good. I don't if I've ever had that much fun before."

"That's good because you probably won't for a while after this." a new voice said.

Ryan turned around to see his father standing there.

"I was wondering where you went this afternoon. I'm glad you enjoyed yourself."

Kelsey felt like she was intruding and said, " I'll just go back to my room now."

Ryan panicked, " No, Kelsey please stay."

She couldn't leave now. He had to leave in the morning. Who knows how long it would be until they got to see each other again.

Captain Mitchell cut in and said, " It isn't necessary. You can stay, Kelsey. I was just checking on you."

Ryan was filled with relief. He didn't have to leave her just yet.

Captain Mitchell walked away, and Kelsey sat back down. Ryan sat there. His own reaction had startled him. Why had he been so scared when Kelsey got up? Why didn't he want to leave her? Was it only because she was his best friend?

Kelsey stood up, and Ryan followed. " So, is there anything left that you wanna do today?"

They were both taken aback with his actions. Before he could even think about what he was doing, Ryan had grabbed Kelsey, and leaning over quite a bit due to height, he kissed her.

Kelsey stood, petrified for a moment. Then, she started to respond, lightly nibbling on his lips.

Ryan felt a rush go through his blood. He had a newfound energy coursing through him. Kelsey wasn't feeling much different by the looks of it. He stood hunched over her, savouring every moment he got.

By the time they let go, the only reason was the lack of oxygen.

Kelsey looked up at Ryan her eyes wide, almost scared. Scared of what that kiss meant. Scared of what would happen. Scared that the moment would somehow be lost in their memories as only a grain of time.

Ryan could hardly believe himself. Where had it come from? He certainly hadn't planned on doing that. He had planned on suggesting they just take a walk through the base. Now he was worried. Would this mean that things would be different and awkward between them. He didn't want that. He loved the comfort he felt around Kelsey. She was his security blanket. He couldn't lost that. He couldn't lose her.

Neither said anything for quite sometime before Kelsey spoke up, "What does this mean?", a hint of nervousness in her voice.

Ryan spoke unsurely, " I don't know, but I wish that I didn't have to leave here, home tomorrow morning."

Kelsey's eyes widened in fear. What would happen to him? What if he didn't make it through his mission? The thought of losing Ryan made Kelsey shiver. How could she feel so comfortable with him? How did it happen? She was outgoing, sure, but she couldn't become completely comfortable with someone. She'd never told anyone, not even Chad, most of the things that she had told Ryan. She must have been out of her mind she hadn't known him for a full month, yet she clung to him like there was no tomorrow. It simply didn't make since. This wasn't Kelsey Winslow, or the old one at least. Tears began leaking from her eyes.

Ryan immediately felt horrible. He had made her cry. Then again, she was the only person he knew who could make tears look beautiful. But they fell, and made patterns on her cheeks. Her eyes glowed a crystal blue. He moved closer to her and traced the design the tear stains left on her cheek, wiping away the tears as he did so.

All Kelsey could do was hug Ryan, have him close while she still could, knowing they were both perfectly safe in each other's embrace.

The usually perky brunette seemed miserable, beyond consolation.

" I don't know what's gonna happen to us, Kels, but we're going to figure it out.,no matter what happens."


	2. Chapter 2

"Son, I know this was a hard decision for you. I'm proud of you, though. I want you to know that. I never gave up on you, not after Diabolico, not after you stole the Titanium morpher. Now I'm sure that you're a fine man. You can defend yourself. And I can't say that you won't need that as you leave here, but your sister and I, the rest of the team, we're rooting you on.", Captain Mitchell said.

"Thanks Dad. I'll be back as soon as I can. I'll be sure to give you a report every day." Ryan smiled a bittersweet smile. Here, he had the chance to redeem himself, but he put everything else he had gained on the line because of it.

All of it, the whole morning, was bittersweet. Everyone was waiting in a line to say goodbye to him. For all he knew, it could be the last time he would see this place, these people. He prayed it wouldn't come to that. He moved onto Dana.

* * *

Dana stood there, next to her father, not sure what to say. This boy, no, man, was her big brother, but he wasn't the big brother she knew. She hadn't known exactly how to act around him. She wasn't ready for him to walk out of her life so soon, if only because she didn't know whether or not he'd be back.

Her vision started to blur as tears formed in her eyes. Goodbyes were never easy. She'd learned that when her mother died. She hadn't known her brother how she wanted to, like a sister would. She'd gotten a second chance, but it had been snatched away. Was there a reason for that?

As Ryan hugged his sister, rubbing her back, trying to soothe her. He had always hated it when people cried, and as he saw his sister, he could swear he heard his own heart shatter. He saw the pain in her eyes, and he could only blame himself for the fact that it was there.

Dana quickly gave her brother a quick squeeze and then let him go. He glanced at her, as if asking if that was all she needed. She nodded to him, and he understood perfectly. He moved to Chad. Chad gave him a firm handshake, possibly a little _too_ firm, but Ryan ignored. Joel slapped Ryan on the back, gave him a grin, and wished him luck. He thanks the cowboy, knowing he would need all the luck he could get.

* * *

Carter came next. The two men said goodbye. Carter knew this was a job that had to be done, though he believed he should be the one to do it. Ryan belonged with his family. Carter had accepted the role of red ranger and with that the responsibility of risking himself to stop the demons. Somehow, he understood that all Ryan wanted redemption, a way to be accepted among those in the aquabase, many of whom still gave him dirty looks.

* * *

Then came the goodbye that Ryan had been dreading the most. He stood in front of Kelsey, not sure what to say or what to do. He wanted to kiss her, badly, just like last night, but something held him back from showing her _that_ kind of affection in front of everyone else. He wasn't embarrassed to kiss Kelsey, but something in her eyes told him that she didn't want their little secret out just yet. Scared someone would notice the awkward silence, Kelsey jumped up and hugged Ryan. It was hard for him to let go of her, when the feeling of her in his arms was so familiar. The only difference was this time, he looked at her and saw a completely different woman.

As Kelsey was saying goodbye, similar thoughts ran through her head. Right now, this man standing in front of her wasn't just her goofy best friend Ryan. This was a brave hero. And to her, it was odd seeing him like this, relying almost solely on primal instincts. She couldn't deny the fact that it was attractive. He most definitely had his faults, a bad temper comes to mind first, but Ryan was a sweet, tenderhearted guy who fought for his family and his friends. Kelsey worried about where she fit in there. She obviously wasn't family, she could count the number of weeks she'd known him on her hands, and after last night, she hoped that she wasn't just his tomboy best friend. After that kiss, she could never go back to thinking about him that way.

Ryan finally spoke a simple, few quiet words to him. "I'll miss you Kels, you know that?"

"Yeah, I know it Mitchell." she said with confidence.

"Don't let your head get to big." Ryan teased her.

"I'll be saying the same thing to you when you come back from saving the world all by yourself." She couldn't bring herself to say the word "If". There were no _if's_ He would come back. That was that, and there was no other option.

Ryan left quietly after saying goodbye to Kelsey. He left the aquabase in one of the jeeps. The rest of the rangers stood there, quietly, silently praying that the Titanium ranger would come home soon safe.

* * *

Dana couldn't describe the tumultuous thoughts in her head. Her brother had just left her, for the second time in her life. At first she had been truly shocked when he had decided to leave. Then, she had become angry with him. How could he do this to her? To their family? Everything had finally been put back in place, but he ripped it apart. Could she really trust him to be there for her? The pink ranger quickly realized how selfish all of her accusations sounded. Ryan was facing his past, to save them, to save all of Mariner Bay. She smiled as a lone tear rolled down her cheek. She had a brother that was worthy of admiration, he was a hero. Surely, he had gone astray first. But he had the same strength, though at times a weakness, as his sister. Ryan fought with his heart. Among the admiration, there were tinges of worry in Dana's heart. They could easily loose contact with Ryan. However handy their morphers could be, they weren't always the best form of communication. So, she sat in the galley worrying about what all would become of her brother.

Kelsey spent the rest of the day wishing that she had something to distract herself with. She hadn't even realized just how much of her time she spent with Ryan. But then again, it usually took drastic measures for her to realize the obvious.


	3. Chapter 3

Ryan had been gone for two weeks. As he walked through the dry desert of California, he wondered if he should regret he choice. He wondered if it was the irrational hero in him that made him leave his home, his family, the ones he loved, for a pile of sand.

He knew he was wrong about all of this. He left to find a way to imprison the demons again, and he knew he wouldn't turn around until he figured it all out.

The land was vast, showing no end. As Ryan walked step after step, he kept wishing he was with the rest of the team. What he wouldn't give for Joel's sense of humor. Dana would be taking care of him. Carter would know exactly where to go, what to do. Chad would provide bits of his endless wisdom, and Kelsey, he would give it all up for Kelsey to be there with him. Thoughts of her kept him going. He was determined to keep going. He told Kelsey he was going to find a way to seal the demons up, and he wouldn't let her down like that, not her.

He had made it through the fortnight with the packaged food he had brought, sleeping on the seldom rock he came across with his backpack as a pillow. The nights were horribly cold. He would use his shirt as a blanket, with the temperatures dropping below zero every time the sun fell.

He had a stash of water bottles, hopefully enough to last him as long as the journey would. He was careful with the supply. He used only what he needed.

Ryan checked in with the aqua base weekly, though he hadn't heard much of anything besides business. He wanted to tell Dana he was sorry, but it was best not to run the battery out of his communicator, even though he had extra.

That night, as with many, Ryan lay unable to sleep. He looked up at the clear night sky, the moon bare and naked, stars blinking in the black night. Ryan thought of what he would say to Kelsey the next time he saw her. He could never be just a best friend to her again. He would only be able to think of that kiss that was the one moment in his life he would never want to forget. Each night, he would stare at the pictures from the photo booth that had been taken the evening before he left. He only looked forward to the day he could return home.

* * *

Kelsey sat in the park in Mariner Bay on the swings. In the distance, she could see the fair being taken apart, piece by piece. The last to be dismantled was the Ferris wheel. As she rocked back and forth gently, she remembered that day in the park. She remembered how hard it had been when Ryan left.

There were times now when she would start talking to herself, as if he were there, as if he could hear every word she said. Kelsey knew she probably sounded crazy, but she didn't know who else to talk to about the fact that she was in love with a guy who had just picked up and left to go save the world after kissing her once.

Joel provided a sense of relief. His antics trying to woo the intelligent Ms. Fairweather kept Kelsey's heart light most of the time.

The relationship between Kelsey and Dana had been slightly tense since Ryan had left. Kelsey didn't want to tell Dana what had passed between her and the pink ranger's brother. Kelsey knew Dana was still exploring the idea that her brother was still alive. Dana obviously wanted to fight the battle alone. Everyone knew Dana was strong, but they also knew that she would need help, even if it was a family matter.

The two girls hadn't talked in ages. Kelsey knew she was being selfish keeping everything between Ryan and herself a secret, but she didn't want to let go of it yet. At the moment, it was all she had left of him.

Kelsey had not talked to Captain Mitchell yet. She dreaded when the moment would come. Captain Mitchell wasn't a harsh or unfeeling man, but he obviously had to draw the line somewhere. But she had fallen for her boss's son. It would definitely be an awkward conversation when it came.

* * *

Dana sat in her room, shuffling through an old shoebox, full of her past. Pictures were sprawled out all over her bed, and she couldn't help but smile at the thought of what her and her brother used to be. It made her wonder if she and Ryan could ever be that way again. Certainly it would be hard with him in the middle of the desert somewhere.

Suddenly, she came across an unfamiliar object. It was a crucifix, small, but very intricate. Dana only remembered it being her mother's. She carefully removed it from the shoebox and placed it on her night table. She continued to dig through the rest of the shoebox. By the time everything in the box had been taken out, Dana felt closure of sorts. She had dealt with her past and was only preparing to deal with her future.

As she turned the lights off and fell back on the bed, memories of a childhood past ran through her mind.


End file.
